An upcoming movie from Amazon Studios will tell a very different kind of marriage story.
The producer and distributor has purchased the film rights to Samantha Downing’s 2019 debut thriller, My Lovely Wife, according to Deadline. Nicole Kidman’s production company, Blossom Films, will partner with Amazon Studios on the film.
The book tells the story of a bored, suburban married couple who find a new activity to keep their marriage interesting: serial murder. No casting news or premiere date has been announced for the film at this early stage.
Blossom Films has been involved in several other book-to-screen adaptations, most notably the Hulu TV series Big Little Lies, based on the 2014 Liane Moriarty bestseller. Its past projects include the 2015 film The Family Fang, based on the 2011 Kirkus-starred novel by Kevin Wilson; and the 2011 romantic comedy Monte Carlo, based on Jules Bass’ 2001 book Headhunters. The company is also at work on upcoming TV adaptations of Janice Y.K. Lee’s 2016 novel, The Expatriates, and Jean Hanff Korelitz’s 2014 book, You Should Have Known; the latter, a miniseries starring Kidman titled The Undoing, will premiere on HBO in May.
My Lovely Wife will be published in paperback on March 3. Downing’s second novel, He Started It, is set to be published on April 28. In that book, three siblings, including narrator Beth, must re-create a road trip to fulfill the requirements of their grandfather’s will. However, as Kirkus noted in its January review, “when the family notices a strange black pickup following them, Beth can’t help but wonder if someone from their past has returned to haunt them.” Our reviewer called it a “sharp psychological thriller” in which “Downing subtly ratchets up the tension while perfectly capturing the complex dynamics between the siblings.”
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
